Don’t get me wrong — I love a good panel of art historians, but events at the Studio@620 make some local arts institutions look like industrial nap factories. Folks here are thinking way outside the box, staging events that bring all kinds of people together in the spirit of conversation about the arts, politics and other community issues. Some of the year’s highlights include: a performance by Moving Current Dance Collective inside a spiral-shaped installation of silk bags filled with hair by artist Babs Reingold; bus tours of St. Peterburg’s urban wetlands in conjunction with an exhibit of Florida Highwaymen paintings; a free social justice round table dinner during which 40 people shared a meal and discussed the state of race relations in the city; erotic poetry readings; and a film-noir festival. The Studio likes to bring “lots of different people together to share creative energies,” co-founder Dave Ellis says modestly. Events are either free or ticketed at minimum cost (typically $10) by the nonprofit Studio. Memberships, which start at $25 for students, include free entry to at least four events of your choice.
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2006.